Audi A3 new Convertable

Audi will launch a brand new convertible version of its A3 in Spring next year. This will sit alongside the Audi TT and A4 convertibles.

The Car will come with the option of four engines, two petrol and two diesel.

The Rag top , which will keep the weight of the car down, is available as either a fully automatic unit or a semi-automatic one, where the driver has to release the hood from the windscreen header rail before it folds down electronically. The good news is that it can be opened and closed at speeds of up to 19mph using a button on the centre console, as well as by the ignition key in the door lock.

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Hyundai show new concept at LA Motorshow

It seems that Hyundai new concept car has hit the spot at the LA Motorshow this week. This 2+2 seater could could hit the road in America in early 2009.

Although similar to the Coupe S3 the Genesis is reported to have a new 3.8-litre V6 - developing over 300bhp which should make its 0-60 time about 6 seconds!

Hyundai's will not be goaded on whether the car will come to the UK - lets hope it does

For more news and comment go to TopCarTalk forums

New ford prices released

The Ford Motor Company has released the prices for the new Ford Focus. The Focus is due to go on sale next year at even more competitive prices.

On the road prices start from £11,945 slightly higher than the old model (approx £270) but added equipment makes up for the increase. The new Focus will have ESP as standard, ABS, electric windows, CD player and central locking.

The Style range starts at at £13,445. The best selling Zetec which receives 16-inch alloy wheels and sports suspension, plus a body coloured rear spoilers standard. The Focus comes with an extensive options list, and is available in three-door and five-door body styles, followed by a revised coupe-cabriolet and sporty ST versions within a few months.

Ford Focus website

Ross Brawn joins Honda

Great news for Honda racing, they have signed former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn.

Brawn, who took a year off, will be leaving Ferrari after talks broken down whilst negotiating his new contract. Honda jumped on this opportunity and signed Brawn. He will join Honda as team principal, working alongside Nick Fry, who will stay on as chief executive.

Brawn will be given full responsibility for design, manufacture, engineering and race operations, allowing Fry to focus on the business and marketing side and managing the relationship with Honda’s board in Japan.

It is almost certain that this is likely to boost the team’s chances of retaining Jenson Button’s services beyond 2008.

For more comment go to TopCarTalk formula 1 forums.

Renault up on spying charges

The Formula 1 debacle continues this week with Renault up on spying charges. They are accused of having McLaren technical information - a similar charge to McLaren.

Earlier this year McLaren were fined $100M and all the constructors points deducted after being found in posetion of Ferarri data.

If you have been following Formula one you will know that this has been going on since the sport began - everybody spies on everyone else, its the way of the world for Formula 1. Unfortunately the FIA have opened a can of worms charging McLaren and now everybody is after everybody else.

Just a continuation of the F1 roadshow or something serious? Have your say at TopCarTalk Formula 1 Forum

Autobahn 'no' speed limit remains

The Social Democrat coalition in Germany has called for a 130kmh/80mph speed limit on the country's motorways. Fortunately for all us motorists Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected the proposal!

The proposals was made by the SPD with the intention of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but Mrs Merkel said that, "traffic jams are at least as harmful to the climate as speeding."

At last some sense from a government - hurrah. So Germany remains the ideal place to try out your new supercars performance

Life-on-Mars Cortina sold

The 'Life-on-Mars' Ford Cortina 2000E has been bought by a fan of the show.

The series featured Jon Simm as a policeman transported back to 1973 battling with the unreconstructed Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister.

Paul Shedden paid £10,000 for the car after it was put up for sale on Ebay, complete with scripts and a police rule-book from 1973. The Cortina has only clocked up 67,000 miles.

40mph Motorway limit to be implemented

The Department of Transport is planning to introduce 40mph speed limits on some motorways in order to reduce congestion during peak traffic times. The speed reduction is also aimed at reducing emissions;
Speed cameras will be mounted in gantries to ensure the lower speed limits are obeyed.

The recent Department of Transport report predicting a 30% increase in congestion by 2025 has forced them into this move.

For comment go to TopCarTalk forums - speed camera's

Metroproject Quattro

The new Audi A1 concept is due to be revelled at the Tokyo motor show this week. Audi have said that this will be almost identical to the final production version to be shown at Paris next year.

The A1 gets Audi's new hybrid 1.4 TFSI engine - an advanced version of the 125bhp engine seen in the A3 - with 150bhp and 177lb ft. The electric motor adds an extra 41bhp and is capable of 62 miles and 62mph operating on its own. The Audi is targeting drivers of the BMW's Mini.

Audi hopes to have the A1 in showrooms by 2010

Porsche's four-door

This is Porsche's official sketch of the Panamera - the awaited new 4 door Porsche. The expected, the production car will get taller and roomier on the inside while losing the caricatured low-slung profile.

It is likely that the new car will be officially unveiled at the Geneva show in 2009, becoming an obvious rival to the Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes CLS and Aston's planned Rapide.

The Panamera will continue the trend of being rear-wheel drive, but there's nothing official from Porsche yet on what'll be providing the power.

Rumours suggest the Panamera will get three different engines, ranging from a 300bhp V6 to a twin-turbo V8 with more than 500bhp.


Top gear magazine have had a go at what the production car could look like.


Look great to me. For further comment go to TopCarTalk forums

Volkswagen supports Tyre Safety Month

VW are in full support of the current Tyre Safety Month initiative. It’s the first manufacturer to sign up to the campaign run by industry body TyreSafe.

VW dealers across the country (250 of them) will check the tyres of any make of car during October and tips on the best ways to care for their rubber.

Well done Volkswagen.

F1 in the news again

Once again Formula 1 is making adverse press. Its is currently negotiating the commercial document that binds the sport together - the Concorde Agreement. Each team signs this agreement but 3 of the teams are in dispute - Prodrive, Torro Rosso and Super Aguri.

The negociations at the moment are trying to exclude teams that use other cars under there logo. Prodrive want to enter a customer car (thought to be a 2007 McLaren) next year, and if no agreement is reached soon, both Torro Rosso and Super Aguri will have to build an entirely new chassis for next year which is probably impossible in the short time scale.

For more comment go to TopCarTalk formula 1

Jason Plato injured filming Fifth Gear

Jason Plato has been hurt filming a Fifth Gear programme earlier this week. The British Touring Car Championship driver was testing a Caparo T1 super car at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire. The car is reported to have burst into flames at 150mph

Plato's injuries, included burns to both hands, his face and the back of his neck he has vowed to race his Seat Leon at this weekend's BTCC meeting at Thruxton. Currently Jason is leading the drivers championship nine points ahead of Vauxhall's Fabrizio Giovanardi.

Good luck Jason.

New Fiat 500 Abarth?

This is one of the first pictures of the stunning Abarth 500, which will make its world debut at next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. It has the usual pumped-up body panels, flared arches, lower side sills, a big roof spoiler and twin tailpipes at the rear, it looks a lot more aggressive than the standard car. The performance 500 also gets a unique front bumper design to aid cooling.

It has a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine - variants will get 133bhp, with a 152bhp version also planned. However, top billing will go to the flagship 595 Super Sport model, which is expected to deliver 177bhp.

Early reports indicate a 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, rather fast for such a small car. Buyers will also get uprated brakes, head­lamps and a revised front bumper help to mark it out in the range.

For more news views and problem solving go to TopCarTalk forum.

New Ariel Atom

A new version of Ariel's has been launched. Although it looks similar to the old one, the latest 2.0 litre engine is from from the new Type R with a power output of 245bhp in normally aspirated form and 300bhp in the supercharged version, but the new engine will deliver more torque lower down the rev range. There's a new ECU, a new fuel system and twin-outlet exhausts, too.
Other improvements, according to designer Simon Saunders, come from changing the angle of the chassis' aluminium bracing tubes to allow larger drivers more space and using bigger rubber engine mounts to reduce vibration. But there's also a more precise gear change, uprated dampers and better wind shielding. Many of the improvements are geared towards the US market, where the £30,000 Atom is hoping to have success.